Manning, a Democrat representing the 6th Congressional District, twice has introduced the „Right to Contraception Act“ in Congress. Her bill passed the House in 2022 but was blocked in the Senate. She tried again in June. The action by the Food and Drug Administration for an over-the-counter pill helps with her effort.
Almost exactly a month after she filed a bill in Congress to ensure access to contraception, Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) has received a big boost from the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA on Thursday approved the contraceptive pill Opill to be sold without a prescription, which means that a shopper of any age can pick it off the shelf in any place pharmaceuticals are sold.
Manning on June 14 had joined Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) to reintroduce the “Right to Contraception Act,” which was passed by the House in 2022 but never gained traction in the Senate.
At the time, she said she was hopeful that the FDA would approve over-the-counter contraception as an assistance to this effort, and on Thursday she said she was pleased that it happened.
“Birth control is essential health care, and there is no doubt that birth control has advanced women’s equality,” Manning, who is in her second term representing North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, said in a statement released by her staff. “I applaud the FDA’s historic action to approve the first-ever birth control pill for over-the-counter use.
“This decision will improve women’s health, expand access to contraceptive care, and help women and girls control their bodies and futures,”
Opill, the first such pill to be approved, is manufactured by Perrigo, which is based in Ireland, and The Associated Press reported that the company won’t begin to ship the pill until early next year.
